CATEGORIES

Remembering Ward Dunham (October 11, 1941 - August 24, 2024)

On August 24, 2024, calligrapher Ward Dunham passed away.

The Black Pen Society and the D.C. Pen Show: Poobah in a Flower Pot

Do you like black pens? If so, you are probably already familiar with the fun, frivolity, and fellowship associated with the Black Pen Society (BPS).

Stationery Fest: This Is Not a Pen Show

Daisy and Neil Ni's twist on the traditional pen show is about community, not commerce.

"It Has Style:" A History of the Aurora Hastil (1969-1970)

The Italian pen company's experiment in modernism led to a revolution in late 20th century pen design. A two-part series.

GW Pens Scores a Critical Hit

With new collections inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and Fender guitars, artisan John Greco is tapping into cultural trends.

Roterfaden's "Pocket Companion' "

The Taschenbegleiter hand-made planner system from German artisan cooperative Roterfaden features a modular organizational system that grows with the user's ambitions.

S.T. Dupont Takes the Iron Throne

The French atelier continues its forays into popular culture with a new, officially licensed Game of Thrones collection.

More Mail, More Dip-Less

The six-part series on dip-less (or one-dip) fountain pens garnered some major attention through its run from October 2023 through August 2024 (Vol. 36 No. 6 Vol. 37 No. 5).

David Oscarson: A Reflection

The artisan pen maker celebrates 25 years of luxury writing instruments with a new collection that harkens to his Art Nouveau roots.

The Parkette Hopalong Cassidy Ballpoint Pen

The Jotter was advertised as Parker's first ballpoint pen, but a novelty item that played on the Hopalong Cassidy culture craze predated it.

Show Your Summer Style

The newest Visconti Homo Sapiens, Iris Garden, is a tribute to the beautiful irises that bloom each spring in Florence, Italy's Iris Garden.

Good Made Better Keeps Getting Better

SUZANNE C. LEE tests Dan Keller's wood and metal reading and writing accessories and finds her childhood dream desk come to fruition.

Layers of Talent: River City Pen Company

With his skills in design and eye for details, Rich Paul crafts pens that are as beautiful as they are functional.

Fathoming the Unfathomable

The new Kanilea Pen Co. Blue Moana fountain pen and Mau Loa cap band are inspired by the ocean's depths and universal interconnectivity.

Truphae: Flexibility Is Key

This young pen shop is writing a new chapter in retail pen sales by finding unique ways to foster community.

"Winter Counts:" Transforming Non-fiction into Fiction

Creative writing typically blends what we know and experience with what we invent and imagine.

Swivodex, Sailors, and the Plastic Revolution: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part V

The end of World War II ushered in a new era, with plastics technology opening the way to better and less costly products of all sorts.

The Mystery of the Purloined Parkers

What do G-men, mobsters, and tampons have in common? The two most epic fountain pen heists in history.

The Other Articles of Impeachment

\"Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons are commanded to keep silent, on pain of imprisonment...\"

The Road to Recovery

A recent trip to Wajima, Japan, by TACCIA's Shu-Jen Lin shows tragedy in the present but hope for the future.

Stationery Fest 2024 Introduces a New Pen Show Concept

Starting a new pen show is always a risky venture, but starting one in New York City, New York, is even riskier, especially when the pen show in question is not designed to be a pen show, per se—at least, not in the format we are used to.

25 Years of the Levenger True Writer

The new Anniversary Origins collection celebrates the True Writer's silver anniversary, but its origins are over a century old.

LAMY and uni Unite

The Japanese company behind the Uniball brand and Germany's LAMY are now partners.

Wajima Earthquake: Lest We Forget

The New Year's Day earthquake took lives and livelihoods. The future of Wajima lacquerware is at stake.

Fontoplumo: Filling a Need

Frank van Krieken turned a hobby into a pen store, and he is spreading the gospel across the globe.

Styling and Substance: Sheaffer and Sengbusch, and One or Two Others: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part IV

In the second installment of this series, we saw the R. Esterbrook Steel Pen Company get its start in the dip-less business.

The Power of the Pen

A Veterans Administration program in Arkansas turns former warriors into pen makers.

The White Dot Marks the Spot

Production by William Penn, distribution by Kenro: Sheaffer is back to basics.

Manu's Pen Nebula

The Pen Family represents Emmanuel Caltagirone's personal journey. Let's take a short trip through time and space.

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part III

Once dip-less desk sets became entrenched in the business world, they naturally proliferated as more companies got into the game.